


my mum calls him 'love', my dad calls him 'son'

by Valery_Snowflakes



Series: my family loves you [3]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: F/M, M/M, family fluff mostly, i swear this is all good hearted in nature plz don't kill me, phan ft their families is such a wholesome concept i couldn't resist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-04 20:17:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12778701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valery_Snowflakes/pseuds/Valery_Snowflakes
Summary: Dan doesn’t share much of his life offline, and his childhood might not have been the best, but things have changed overtime and his family is different now, for better or for worse. Phil will always be a part of the better ones.





	1. i'll pull the sheets when it's cold on your feet, 'cause you'll fall back to sleep every time

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is another work involving the Howell family. Once again, I'd like to say that I don't claim to know any of the members of Dan's family, their relationships or how they interact with one another. This is merely a work of fiction born from my own desire of sweet, family fluff. Next chapter involves the Lesters, and I'd like to point out that I don't know any of them, either. This is all in good hearted nature and trying to be as respectful of Dan and Phil's families as I can be. Having said that, please enjoy!
> 
> Work title's from Ebony Day — Steal My Girl  
> Chapter title's from Tom Odell — Grow Old With Me

Dan smiles, sighs, and plops down on the mattress.

  The bed is still too short for him, too uncomfortable. It’s gone rough after decades of sporadic use. It will most definitely not fit two grown, gigantic adults, but Dan knows they’ll manage, they always do.

  Phil opens his suitcase and starts unpacking all of their shirts and hanging them in Dan’s old worn out closet, carefully placing suits and button ups away from each other so they don’t wrinkle any more. Dan knows he’ll have to spend some time later in the evening ironing out all of their shirts and trousers, but right now he’s too tired, so he’ll let Phil hang clothes up while he has a nap.

“I’ll go check on your brother,” Phil tells him half an hour later, the closet door is closed and both of their suitcases are somewhat pushed in the space between the bed and the floor. There’s a glass of water and some painkillers in the bedside table, and Dan reaches blindly for them.

“Your phone’s charging in the kitchen.” Phil reminds him, placing a comforting hand over Dan’s forearm and squeezing a little bit. “And I’ll come wake you up when breakfast’s ready.”

  Dan smiles, repositions himself to chug down the whole glass of water in one go and lets Phil take the empty thing from his hands.

“What about the gaming video?” He asks, it’s a miracle that in his drowsy state he still finds time to worry about their channels.

“I’ll make sure to post it later, it’s still early, love.” Phil gently applies pressure until he’s lied back down, head on the pillow and duvet all the way up to his shoulders. “Relax, we’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

  Dan nods and waits until Phil’s closed his bedroom door once again to lure himself back to sleep.

 

  He wakes up around one pm, and the number is based off predictions because his phone is downstairs, plugged in the kitchen counter.

  In the bedside table there’s another glass full of water, and next to it there’s a small yellow post-it note with a heart and a smiley face. Dan smiles, starts taking sips out of the water and carefully takes the note to place it somewhere else later.

  When he goes downstairs Phil is, unsurprisingly, working in the kitchen with his dad. Adrian is sat back against the sofa, legs folded up beneath him and History textbook heavy on his hands. His mother is nowhere in sight, but if Dan’s right she must be at work still.

“Hey, nerd.” He says, plopping down next to his brother. “What are you revising?”

“I honestly have no fucking idea,” the boy shrugs, closes the textbook and tosses it aside. “If I fail this semester will you please adopt me?”

  Dan laughs, hugs his brother and nods into the brown curls.

“That’s what I’m here for, y’know.”

  Adrian smiles, pulls back and grins so brightly Dan’s tempted to offer him home in London.

“Ah, looks like the Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake.” Phil pops up from the doorframe, red checkered shirt tucked in underneath his black jeans and mismatched socked feet. “How are you feeling, babe?”

“I’m fine now, thanks,” Adrian replies, howling with laughter, and Dan wants to smack him because Phil’s his, but laughter wins over him too and he ends up motioning vaguely at everything while trying to keep his head from spinning.

“Before this fucker interrupted me,” Dan says, trying to regain composure “I was gonna thank you for letting me sleep in, I needed it.”

  Phil winks, blows a kiss to both of the Howell siblings and returns to the kitchen just as the oven timer beeps.

“He’s mine, hand off,” Dan says, trying to be scary.

“I know, just messing with ya’, mate.” Adrian smiles, pokes his brother’s chest and frowns.

“Mum’s gonna be here anytime soon, you should probably change into more formal clothes. It’s her birthday, after all.”

  Dan nods, stands up without a word and leaves the empty glass of water in the coffee table.

  It shouldn’t come as a surprise to him when he opens the closet door to find all of their clothes already ironed out, hanging color-coded inside the shitty box of wood.

  He ends up picking the moth shirt and throwing a leather jacket on top for the sake of fashion before changing his sweatpants for those black ripped jeans and going back downstairs.

“Is mum here yet?” He asks, entering the kitchen, and his father shrugs before handing him a knife and pointing to the carrots.

“Make sure she thinks you’re doing something.” He says, and Dan can’t protest because even Adrian, who burns water, is helping out in the kitchen.

  Phil shoots him a small smile from the stove.

 

  When his mum arrives everything is served. Bolognese spaghetti she enjoys so much and meat cake carefully cut into squares. Adrian has made apple juice using apples Dan and Phil had picked from an orchard on their way and Dan’s greatest achievement this evening has been folding napkins into doves.

“This is delicious,” she says an hour later, serving herself a third plate of spaghetti. “Everything is so nice, you must've worked so hard, thank you all.”

  Mr. Howell smiles, strokes his thumb across his wife’s hand over the table. Adrian pours himself another glass of water and Phil quietly munches his meat cake.

“Would anyone like another piece?” Mrs. Howell asks, reaching for the meat cake, there are only two more pieces and Dan eyes one of them warily. “Phil, love, are you hungry?”

  Phil swallows, smiles, and Dan knows for a fact that if he’s offered food he’ll always say yes no matter what, but this might as well be a fight to the death because Dan also wants more meat cake.

  He kicks Phil in the shin under the table, and his boyfriend looks at him with an utter look of disbelief that has Dan’s father snickering.

“That’s mine,” Dan growls, fork pointing at the last piece in the tray.

“Back off, pretty boy, that cake’s mine.” Phil is smiling, glasses low on the bridge of his nose and Dan wonders if taking them off would be considered cheating.

“I want it.” Adrian shrugs, reaches for the plate and places the last piece of meat cake on his plate. “You could’ve shared but nah, too busy fighting, weird ass couples smh.”

  Phil swallows, looking at the last piece of meat cake on Adrian’s plate completely heartbroken. Dan bites his lip, considers using his older brother privilege to make Adrian hand him his plate but decides against it.

“I think next time less banter and more action is the right way to go.” Dan says, grabbing Phil’s hand under the table.

  Phil squeezes his hand, runs his thumb over Dan’s knuckles and smiles at his boyfriend.

  Dan smiles back, squeezes just as hard and bathes in the familiar feeling of it all. 


	2. forever is a long time, but i wouldn't mind spending it by your side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Son, I need your help,” Nigel says, and Martyn, Dan and Phil stand up.
> 
> There are three grown men stood next to each other around the coffee table, all with the same confused expression staring intensely at each other. A scene so ridiculous it has Cornelia folding over in laughter.

  When Mr. Lester walks in the room there are four adults sitting around the coffee table. Cornelia and Martyn are on separate, individual sofas. Martyn has his phone in one hand and a tea cup in other. Cornelia sips leisurely from a wine glass and smiles. Dan and Phil are sat right next to each other in the big sofa, Phil has a book in one hand and Dan’s head on his lap, and Dan holds a tea cup in between both of his hands, looks at Phil like he’s the whole world.

  He stays there a couple of minutes, looking at his sons and their significant others with a warm expression. They all look so happy and at peace standing there, talking about a _meme_ Mr. Lester doesn’t know about, and it’s nice, the way they all seem to fit with each other.

“Son, I need your help,” Nigel says, and Martyn, Dan and Phil stand up.

  There are three grown men stood next to each other around the coffee table, all with the same confused expression staring intensely at each other. A scene so ridiculous it has Cornelia folding over in laughter.

  Mr. Lester smiles, cheeks red not from embarrassment but from amusement.

“Not you,” he says, pointing at his oldest son, so Martyn sits down with a sheepish grin. “You neither,” he says, pointing at his youngest child, and Phil smiles. “Daniel, come here, I need your help, son.”

  The brunette smiles and nods, leaves his tea cup in the table and gives Phil a shy smile before following Nigel through the corridors.

“Is everything alright, Mr. Lester?” Dan asks, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “Am I in trouble?”

  Nigel snickers, shakes his head.

“I don’t know, are you?” He laughs, and Dan smiles a little. “Truth be told, I think that from both of my son’s lovers you are the least likely to be in trouble. You’re such a little angel, I don’t know how you manage to be such a sweetheart all the time.”

“That’s part of my charm, I guess.” Dan shrugs, tries to seem nonchalant when in reality he’s been on edge for three days on a row now, trying to be always on his best behaviour as to not disturb his boyfriend’s parents. “I’m just naturally a soft, selfless bean trying to worm my way through life with as little attention as I can get.”

“Bean?” Nigel smiles, shakes his head in a way that indicates he’s been told more about Dan that he’s letting on. “I’ve been told you can be quite lazy too, you know, and I’ve seen how you cling to my son, how high your subscribers count is, I don’t think you’re trying to live unnoticed by the world.”

  Dan’s cheeks turn pink, and suddenly he seems far too interested in how pretty the floor is, even though he’s walked through the same hallway a thousand other times without minding the tiles too much.

“That’s another way to see it, I guess.” He says, bottom lip in between his teeth.

“Don’t sweat it, Dan.” Mr. Lester smiles, reaches to squeeze they boy’s shoulder. “I think it’s quite lovely how invested in Phil you are, and I’m actually proud of you, there are a lot of people out there whose life you’ve helped in one way or another.”

Dan smiles, there’s a special glow in his eyes and from where he is stood Mr. Lester can see a dimple popping.

“Thanks, Mr. Lester. I… I needed it.”

  In all the time they’ve talked he hasn’t called Nigel ‘dad’ once, even though the man has called him ‘son’ multiple times, and it doesn’t fly by unnoticed. But Nigel doesn’t want to bring it up, not yet. So he waits until they’re both in the kitchen and he can ask Dan to reach from some of the utensils on the highest cupboards to pop the question.

“Is it so hard for you to call me dad?” He asks, voice laced with concern. He wanted Dan to feel included, not to feel obligated. “Dan, if it makes you uncomfortable…”

  Dan stops, almost drops the pan he’d been reaching for.

“That’s not it,” Dan says, placing the pan in the kitchen counter and reaching up again to pull the spatula out. “It’s just that I never imagined a day like this would come, you know? Ever since I was little I was always told to keep a formal language when speaking to my girlfriend’s parents, to not expect to be easily welcomed into her family, or things like that. I was never taught what to do in front of my boyfriend’s parents, or how to react if they treated me like family from day one. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable, I swear, but things like this are the ones I’m still trying to come to terms with. My sexuality, my profession, my financial, familiar and personal situations. It’s hard, but I’ll get there, I know it. It’s not like I’m alone, but some things are harder to get used to than others. Don’t worry, dad, I’m okay.”

  It’s a sincere answer, and even though he doesn’t look at Nigel the whole time he’s speaking the heartfelt thoughts are there, tangible through the words. It’s way more than what Mr. Lester bargained for, really, and so he steps up to wrap Dan up in a bone-crushing hug before pulling away, eyes filled with pride.

“That’s okay, take your time, Dan,” he says, smiling. “Just know that I’m always here, in case you need an elder’s opinion on something, or just because you want to talk. It just takes a phone call, really.”

“Thanks.” Dan says, smiling. He looks a little bit happier, a little less unsteady. “Like, really, I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Nigel nods, gives Dan a last hug and sends him back to his boyfriend.

  When Dan reenters the living room shit’s already going down. Someone has pulled out Monopoly Empire from the games shelf and everything’s a mess. Somehow there’s a brand tile in Coca Cola and Phil has three properties already, Cornelia squeezes a cushion to let out stress and Martyn, who has no money and no properties, looks everywhere in search of divine help.

“Dan’s here!” He shouts upon noticing the brunette. “New game! Dan’s here and he wants to play so we need to start over!”

  Phil looks at him and smiles, pats the empty space on the floor next to where he’s sat crossed leg and Dan happily trots next to his boyfriend, rest his head on Phil’s shoulder and takes the dice from his hands.

“Or I could just team up with this idiot and keep the dice rolling.” He says, and Cornelia looks at him with pride. She’s got all her money and no properties but seems ready to attack at any moment.

“That’s cheating,” Martyn says, admitting defeat when Dan throws the dice to the table and starts moving Phil’s Xbox control eight places forwards.

“It’s not my fault you suck at Monopoly,” he says back, looking over at Phil and deciding if they should buy Yahoo! or not. Phil shrugs, looks at him with this _‘it’s up to you’_ glow in his eyes and Dan decides they’ve got enough money to take a risk, so he does and Cornelia, who is acting like the bank, gives him the propriety card and a couple of fifty dollar bills as change.

“What did my dad need help with?” Phil asks, reaching for Dan’s hand. It’s Cornelia’s turn to play and she lands on and buys Intel. Martyn looks at her with horror when she hands him the dice.

  Dan smiles, gives Phil’s hand a squeeze.

“Pulling things out of cupboards,” he says, smiling. “He also says I’m adorable.”

  Phil looks at him with such love in his eyes Dan wants to offer him the world in that moment.

“You really are,” he says, and Dan smiles, pulls him in for a kiss and ignores Martyn’s shriek of fear as he lands in _‘GO TO JAIL’_.

  When he pulls back there are dice being thrown at his face and one hits worryingly close to his eyes but he doesn’t care because Phil’s smiling, tongue pushing his top teeth and eyes almost closed and it’s so pretty Dan kisses him again, and again, until Phil’s a giggling mess and Cornelia looks at them like she’s considering taking the dice and skipping their turn.

  In the calm of this makeshift moment, with Cornelia yelling at them to throw the fucking dice and Martyn staring holes into his Coca Cola bottle token, and Phil looking at him like Dan has the answer to everything, Dan feels safe. He’s got a family here, he realizes, and somehow it just makes him want to kiss Phil again.

  So he does.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was it! What do you think? Was it worth the wait? Please tell me your thoughts on the comments! <3
> 
> I really loved writing this story and I hope you enjoyed reading it, too! If you want more Phan in your life please feel free to check my stories, I have other works that I'm sure you'll like. ^^
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on [my Twitter](https://twitter.com/ValeryHowlter) or on [my Tumblr!](http://valery-snowflakes.tumblr.com/) I'll make sure to answer as soon as I see your message. 
> 
> Chapter title's from He Is We — I Wouldn't Mind


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